Those About to Die

The narrative heavily focuses on modern-style identity struggles, emphasizing the systemic oppression of enslaved Africans and Judeans by the Roman Empire. Major plotlines revolve around explicit queer identities, including Domitian's gay scheming and Aura's lesbian romance.

The series critiques ruling-class corruption and imperialism in a way that mirrors modern activist complaints about Western capitalism and power structures. It also subverts traditional family structures by depicting the Roman men as toxic and emotionally broken, while the minority female leads possess superior moral clarity.

The series alters the real history of the Flavian dynasty to emphasize modern identity themes. It reframes the historical figure Domitian to focus heavily on his explicit gay relationship. Additionally, it changes the ethnic makeup of the ancient Numidians by casting sub-Saharan black actors instead of Mediterranean-looking actors.

Right-leaning viewers and history buffs complained on Reddit and YouTube about forced diversity. They criticized the show for race-swapping North Africans, adding unrealistic female gladiators, and shoehorning modern-style queer subplots into a historical epic.

Key casting directors and producers on the crew have a strong, public commitment to diversity and identity-focused storytelling. Directors Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner also have a history of incorporating liberal social themes and LGBT representation in their previous work.